My task this week was to invent or research an existing problem and approach a solution using STEAM or creativity.
What’s STEAM?
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. An upgrade to traditional STEM, where authentic problem solving is stressed. Aside from this, STEAM methods also include communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.
My example
A problem I’ve encountered back at school was the fact that there was no adequate way for a student’s preferred name and pronouns to be held and communicated in an easy, non confrontational manner. A lot of people I knew were scared to ask for messages to be relayed, so I proposed a quiet, inclusive system for pronoun storage and changes as a form that every single student would have to complete at the start of every year. It also would have to be resubmittable at any given time. This too can be used in any institution with a system of hierarchy, like a workplace. The results of this form need to be stored in a database, which I think should be optimised for viewing purposes in practice, but can also link to alternative tables which store the data on a systematic level.
Here’s a list of questions/fields that this form could encompass:
- Name(s) and surnames (I do not like to use the word ‘preferred’ in regards to names and pronouns)
- Pronouns, allow for multiple
- Pronoun usage details, i.e if a student has more than one set of pronouns and would like one to be used more than another, or for them to randomnly alternate
- Who can these be used by or around? (Parents, peers, teachers)
- Are you comfortable discussing your gender identity or pronoun use with support staff?
- Would you like support staff to discuss accommodations for your gender identity further?
Here are some hypothetical implementation details this database may need to have:
- The primary key would have to be a Student ID number, as storing student details by name is never a good idea. Name changes also must be included in this system.
- It needs to be checked against the Data Protection Act to ensure adequate privacy and safety of students
- Above all else, people under this system need to be kept safe and be respected. I think data should be hidden or changed when viewed by certain accounts as specified by the user in order for them to have complete control and choice as to who sees what in regards to their gender identity.
Here’s an SQL statement that could be used to query for student pronouns.
SELECT names, pronouns
FROM students
WHERE studentID = 3748374